Along with the ones mentioned in my previous article, Microsoft is making more than 30 other changes, including expanding its Aero Peek touch interface, adding broader support for older FAT32-formatted hard drives, and making it more apparent when a window in the background wants a user's attention.

"We change a lot of things in the beta based on feedback and we try to do so in a systematic manner with the focus on the goals for the release," Windows engineering head Steven Sinofsky said in the blog posting. "The goal of having a fully functional beta was to make sure we received reliable feedback and not a lot of 'hey this doesn't work at all' sorts of reports. This has allowed us to really focus on delivering a refined (release candidate) where the changes we made are all the reflection of feedback we have received."